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Everyday memory failures across adulthood: Implications for the age prospective memory paradox
Agnieszka Niedźwieńska1, Józefina Sołga1, Patrycja Zagaja1
1Applied Memory Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
Plos One
|September 25, 2020
Summary
Everyday prospective memory failures are most common and consequential, particularly in young adults. This study reveals an age-related benefit in prospective memory across adulthood, challenging previous assumptions.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Development
Background:
- Everyday memory failures are common, but their specific impact and age-related changes are not well understood.
- Prospective memory (remembering future intentions) shows an 'age paradox,' seemingly improving with age in naturalistic settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the types, frequency, seriousness, and consequences of everyday memory failures across different adult age groups.
- To examine age differences in prospective memory failures and their impact on daily life.
- To clarify the age-related benefit in prospective memory and its underlying mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- A 7-day diary study involving 58 young adults, 40 middle-aged adults, and 54 elderly adults.
- Participants self-recorded memory failures as they occurred, noting their seriousness and consequences.
- Failures were categorized into retrospective memory, prospective memory, and absent-minded lapses.
Main Results:
- Prospective memory lapses were the most common, serious, and consequential type of everyday memory failure.
- Young adults reported significantly more prospective memory failures than middle-aged and elderly adults.
- This young adult disadvantage persisted even after accounting for lifestyle differences.
Conclusions:
- Everyday prospective memory performance shows an age-related benefit, with younger adults experiencing more failures.
- This benefit is robust across various prospective memory tasks and age groups.
- The findings suggest that prospective memory is preserved from middle to late adulthood, while younger adults are more susceptible to prospective memory failures.
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